WE HAVE A VISA!!

I forgot to mention that little detail here. I posted it on facebook. Sorry for those of you who don't have facebook. The approval came the next day like we had hoped and the Embassy called to say everything was ready to be picked up. We stopped by the Embassy and within a few minutes - no joke, we were on our way with the Visa in hand. Yipeee! They couldn't have been nicer. We had our own little cheering section there I think!

Sumy in Wwwwwinter!

We arrived in Sumy after 7 1/2 hours on the bus from Kiev. Suffice it to say that the roads were not good. We were tired and cold while waiting for the taxi to come take us to our apt. After arriving at the apt., there was some disagreement with the landlord(yea, you guessed it. Bill and Leslie's old "friend") He wanted a deposit that was more than the rent, and I didn't want to give it to him! He asked us to leave, so we did. I'm sure he thought I wouldn't, but he was wrong. Now we were out in the cold again with all our luggage. I called Tanya, and she saved the day! She got a hold of the owner of another apt. we had stayed in during our last visit. He was willing to come down at 9:00 at night, last minute, and rent us the apt. Boy were we glad. Unfortunately, we could only stay one night because he had the other nights booked. We paid for the night and he said to leave the key on the counter when we left in the morning. No contract, no deposit! Now that's my kind of renting. We are now in a hotel because all the apts. are booked for the holiday. I would have thought the hotel would be booked but it's not. I went with Marina to "officially" sign Zhenya out of the orphanage. We tried to take care of things at the bank, but they weren't very helpful. They said to come back Tues. because they are closed Monday. We are still trying to figure things out and how long we will stay. We will make the best of it. I forgot to mention that the missionaries came and unlocked the church so we could store our luggage until we found somewhere to stay. Jesse, Tanya, and Zhenya went looking for a place to stay while Marina and I took care of business. Divide and conquer! Things are working out. Nothing is open tomorrow, so that won't be much fun. I will return to the orphanage tomorrow with the boys to deliver the gifts and packages.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Hey everyone, it's COLD out there!!!

Jesse couldn't help with my blog problem either, so I'm doing this through his somehow. He said it would work and I believe him. So let's bring you up to date.

Vlad and Natasha were at the airport to meet us. It was sure good to see them again. They told me that they had sent for Zhenya and he would be there shortly. He was about 15 minutes behind us. What a great surprise! It was so good to see him again. Not the first meeting Jesse was expecting, but it was great none the less. Zhenya has an escort with him. It was the only way they would let him go. He didn't care, he was so happy to come.

They have redone the Frankfurt airport since we were here last. It is beautiful now. Real high end store like Rolex and Versace etc. Security is ridiculously long. We had over two hours there and as we sat down by our gate, they announced that they were ready to board! We had to go through two security check points, each one taking longer. I got pulled over and had a pretty thorough pat-down. They took my money belt and walked off with it. I didn't let it out of my sight and it made for some tense moments. Dawn Soper was telling me tonight that she got pulled aside too - behind a screen and was as close to being stripped search as you could get. Maybe they are singling out American women, I don't know.
Today we woke up to a lot of snow! We had so much to do, how dare it snow so much. Well, we weren't going to let that stop us, so we bundled up and ventured out. It was so bad that even Vlad couldn't make it, so Natasha called a taxi driver she uses sometimes. We walked some of the way as there were too many cars that were stuck and our driver couldn't get around them. We went to get Zhenya's medical done and then to the Embassy. Both went quickly and smoothly. It was so great. The Embassy people were very nice. They took all of our documents, gave us the interview, and will have Zhenya's passport ready with his visa so when the approval comes they will just call me and have me come to pick it up. We are hoping for tomorrow. The Embassy sent off an email with a copy of the tracking document I provided saying that they(NVC)had received the approval from the USCIS on Dec.23rd. The Embassy said the NVC has had plenty of time to send it to the Embassy, so where is it? Hopefully they will go look for it and send it. Sorry this is so lengthy, but it is mostly for the family who have been following our every move with much anticipation. We will head to Sumy tomorrow to take our escort back and "officially" take Zhenya for good. Boy is he happy. He has asked me several times if he has to go back. I told him, "never again".
Tonight we met up with the Soper's and went out to dinner. It was fun for all of us. The airport closed down today, so they are praying it will open tomorrow and they won't have any problem getting out. They are so ready!

More Sights and Sounds of Sumy

We had such a great trip. Can't wait to go back one more time! O.K., I'm not looking forward to the trip, but can't wait to bring Zhenya home!

We Made It Back!

We arrived safe and sound Saturday afternoon. It's so good to be back. Our plane arrived a half hour early, so there was no one there to meet us. It was sure great to see them when they did. Here are a few pictures from our last days in Sumy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I wanted the greatest family in the world for my birthday, and guess what? I GOT IT!!! I sure do love you guys. Thanks for taking care of each other while we've been gone. You are the best. You are all awesome, truly! Thanks so much for your love and support. We couldn't have done this without you. Not much longer and we will be complete.
Hey everyone this may be my last post until we get home. We had another fun day with Zhenya and Tanya yesterday. We moved apartments as the Straders left for Dnipro. We spent some time at the orphanage and downtown. We went bowling for a couple of hours. It was so much fun. The bowling alley consists of only two lanes and six balls to choose from. I have pictures, but gave the camera to Zhenya last night when we dropped him off so he could take pictures of the orphanage and his friends there. We will see him again this afternoon. Tomorrow we will do a little paperwork here in the morning, then get on the bus for Kiev. We will get there in the early evening and try and sleep before leaving for the airport at 3:00 a.m. We will arrive as scheduled on Saturday. I think the Keller's may be on the same flight. Not sure about that though. Because of the uncertainty of how things will play out in Russia, we felt it best to come home and let Vlad do his thing. Best case, I will return in two or three weeks. That's what we all need to pray for now. Zhenya wants so badly to come with us, but he is very understanding and accepting. You guys will love him! Can't wait to see all of you again. We love you.

"OF COURSE!"

Jesse and Brady, you can start celebrating now. There is officially another male member of the Evenson family! We did have our day in court after all. Things went really well. Lots of talking on my part and answering some questions. A few questions for Zhenya, but the most important one, "Do you want to be adopted by this family?" His reply, "Of course! This is just inside the court room with us and the judge. Afterwards, we all went to eat out at New York Pizza. Those of you who have been here will recognize some of the faces. I'm going to add a video even though after I viewed it, I realized it was quite shakey. Sorry about that.

VLAD TO THE RESCUE!!!

We had heard that Vlad was a miracle worker. It's true! After our bad luck of having the judge's mother die, Vlad was able to find another judge that was willing to squeeze us into her schedule and hear our case. It was a judge that had never heard an adoption case before. Not only did she get us, but the Straders as well. After a trip to the ever popular notary office, and some time waiting at the court, we had our cases heard. It couldn't have gone better. Thanks for the prayers.

Early Mother' Day for Missionary Moms!!

For the Ketchum and Moore families!

No News Is Good News!!!

Sorry I cut the last entry short. It is Tuesday morning as I sit here writing this. Court was supposed to be at 2:00 this afternoon. I just got a call that it has been postponed. The judge's mother passed away. We don't know yet when she will hear our case. They are saying maybe Friday. We won't be home Saturday for sure now. If we get a hearing Friday, the earliest we will come home would be Tuesday. Obviously, we will keep you posted. The Straders as well will have to wait. They were scheduled to have their hearing today also at 3:00. I feel badly for them. They have been here longer than we have and have a daughter waiting to be picked up in Dnipro. We are glad we have each other. Oh well, more time at the market for Ray-should have brought a bigger suit case! Does any one need me to pick them up something? More later when we find out what is going on.

Getting Ready for Court

After looking for an hour to find a place open, we were sucessful and Zhenya was able to get a hair cut. Too bad I didn't bring my hair cutting stuff. Natasha arrived late last night and has joined us at our apt. We sat up late playing cards with the Straders waiting for her. We had a blast. They are really fun. I think we are all way over tired, but it sure makes for a fun evening.

Easter Sunday

It was Easter Sunday here in Ukraine. Everything shut down. We went to the branch here in Sumy. What wonderful people. The Elders were happy to see us too. I miss Sunday dinners so much, we recruited a few extra people. We invited the Elders, our interpreters, strangers off the street-just kidding! It was fun. Today is a holiday too. Not much going on. Pretty much everything is closed down. Zhenya was hoping to go for a hair cut before our court date, but we can't find anything open yet. They have the randomest(I don't think that is a word)holidays around here. We played a bunch of games yesterday. Zhenya is coming out of his shell. We had a lot of fun. He and Tanya thought they would discuss how to beat me, so they were jabbering away in Ukrainian. I just laughed and told them I knew what they had said. I told them,and Tanya said, "You know way too much Ukrainian!"
Love you all. More tomorrow. I may wait until after court, so the post will be later.

Afternoon in Town

We were allowed to take Zhenya into town this afternoon. He wanted to go to the museum and see a travelling exhibit about the body etc. and some quirky birth defects. It was more like a Ripley's Believe it or Not. It is a travelling exhibit from St. Petersburg. Of course we had to stop at MacDonald's before we took him back. Ray was looking a little thin, so I even let him have some ice cream! Oh, by the way - Court date is Tuesday! We can then go to the Embassy on Wed. and come home on Thursday. We are scheduled to come home on Saturday. We are torn. Zhenya doesn't want us to go without him, but as you know, there is the 10 day waiting period and then we would have to go to Russia for his birth certificate. No one can predict what will happen there, or how long it will take. That is why we were planning on coming home, and making a second trip back. I tell you, it is heart wrenching. All he wants to do is come home. Any input would be appreciated. We will let you know what we decide. Love you ALL!!

Ray's New Diet is Working!!!!

Ray has been a little more serious about eating healthy and exercising lately. What do you think? I think he looks a lot thinner already. Must be something in the water!

The Mighty Hunter!!

We had another fun time with Zhenya yesterday. We played games and went on a nice walk. Ray couldn't hold back any longer and had to start looking for beetles. Zhenya and even Tanya joined in. Can't believe how nicely he will fit right in. Even with all our quirks, he still wants to come. He's such a great kid! We are hoping to get permission today to take him out with us around town. That will be a nice change for him. Claire, I'll try and get some video later today or tomorrow for you. Lori - Misha is Margie Jorgensens son whom they adopted from Sumy last year. The boy in the video is his friend who is still here.

For Misha!

He was sure happy to get the package. Cute boys!

More Pics!!

I don't know what happened to some of the pictures when I posted them. They got cut off some how. I'll try again. The one of the cops is for you Brady!

We're Having a Great Time!

This is a beautiful time of year here. Yesterday was our 31st Anniversary and next week is my birthday. Guess we won't forget these ones! Not a bad way to spend it! Things are going well for us. We continue to pray that things will go well with Zhenya's birth certificate. We have to go to Russia for that, but we are not to that point yet. We are having fun visiting the orphanage and getting to know him better. I know you really just want to see the pictures! Claire, the flowers are for you - it's springtime! We have a new translator. A cute little gal, her name is Tanya. Natasha and Vlad are taking care of business in Kiev. Tanya says hi to the Milnes, and Heiners, and I can't remember who else she said. Dave and Lee-Ann, a big hello to you, and big hug for Troy!
P.S. Lori - I will see what I can do for you.